On March 17th, 2026, non-custodial exchange platform ChangeNOW announced "Private Send," a NOW Wallet feature intended to prevent a direct on-chain link between sender and recipient addresses. The option adds a toggle to the wallet's send flow and routes transfers sender → ChangeNOW → recipient, so the receiver sees funds arriving from a ChangeNOW address rather than the sender's wallet.

The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission said Tuesday its Market Participants Division issued a no-action letter to crypto wallet provider Phantom Technologies. The position may let Phantom operate as a non-custodial interface linking users to a registered exchange in certain cases without registering as a broker.

On 17 March 2026, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) issued a no-action position for Phantom Technologies Inc. covering specified activities tied to its self-custodial wallet software. The relief lets Phantom market software that connects users to trading services offered by registered futures commission merchants, introducing brokers, and designated contract markets, without registering as an introducing broker or associated person if stated conditions are met.

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission said Tuesday it will not recommend enforcement action against Phantom for not registering as an introducing broker as it explores adding derivatives functionality. The agency described the proposed product as a passive front-end that lets users route orders directly to registered exchanges or brokers, subject to disclosure, compliance, and recordkeeping conditions.

Mastercard Inc. agreed to acquire stablecoin infrastructure provider BVNK for up to $1.8 billion on 17 March 2026 at 16:45. The deal includes $300 million in performance-based payments and is aimed at linking traditional fiat rails with onchain transactions as stablecoin payments grow globally.

On March 17th, 2026, Aster, a privacy-focused trading ecosystem backed by YZi Labs, announced the launch of the Aster Chain mainnet. The Layer 1 network is positioned to reduce onchain "position hunting" by making trading privacy the default while targeting CEX-like performance, including 100,000+ TPS and a 50ms median block time. Aster also said it plans to start a staking program within a week of the launch.

On March 17, 2026, Aster, a privacy-focused trading ecosystem backed by YZi Labs, announced the launch of Aster Chain Mainnet in George Town, British Virgin Islands. The Layer 1 network targets DeFi "position hunting" by making trading privacy the default via ZK-verifiable encryption and stealth addresses, while claiming 100,000+ TPS and a 50ms median block time with zero gas. Aster also said it plans to start a staking program within a week to reward early supporters and liquidity providers.

On March 17, 2026, Aster said it has launched the Aster Chain mainnet, a purpose-built Layer 1 aimed at reducing onchain "position hunting" by making trading privacy the default. The project claims 100,000+ TPS, a 50ms median block time, and zero gas fees, alongside features such as ZK-verifiable encrypted orders, stealth addresses, and selective disclosure via a Viewer Pass. Aster also said it will start a staking program within a week of the launch and noted support for a native bridge to BNB Chain.